Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-05-27
REMARKABLE CHANGES.
Misslss Ppi steamboa ing Twenty Year,
Ago and To-day.

Misslss ppi steamboa ing Twenty Years
Ago and To-day.
81 tell you" he said throwing him.
self back in a heavy arm-chair. the
Mississippi is no Longer what it used to
be; the railroads have ruined it. There
WI lie 10 more such steamers as the X.
Z. Lee the Richardson or others of
their class built The steamers used to
float all the cotton of the valley to New
Orleans. and were bui t to carry from
5000 to 5000 bales. The week. how
ever. which it re uired steamer to
take it down. is now reduced to twenty
four hours by rail Railroads are .ol-
lowi g the coarse OF the liver. and rob-
bing it of its trade. and ] look forward
to the day hen the Mississ pp River
vii be abandoned entirely in favor of
rail.
Yes" he continued, in answer to
question, ''gamblorS used to have
| picnic along the river; bnt that dav. too
Is past. 1t is not because people haze
grown better, but becau they have
less money. / once saw two men in
dispute over game. rise from their
chairs, place the p stols at each 9TH
er's temples, and fire simultaneously.
Their dead bodies were carr ed away.
and the game con,Inued as if nothing
had happened. Those were wild DAYS,
and are not likely to return.
The mode of getting other peoples
money has merely changed in some re-
spects. With the ex of the honest
gambler vino told his business. we wit
ness the entrarc e of the sneak thief.
But a few days ago rich planter
boarded tn steamer off Natchez.
he purchased a paper from a newsboy
and was soon lost in its perusal
Colonel. said bland young man,
few moments after. you have Just
dropped this handing him fifty dol
lar note.
- / reckon not said the old gentle
man as he overlooked his spectacles.
" / Just picked it up under YOUR
cha r repl ed the Young man and see
no other way to dispose of it. How
ever, since it seems to belong to neith-
er of us, we might just as well divide
it.
THE plan worked well. The old
gentleman passed over S25 in change,
and the Young man sauntered careless
ly out on land. A few minutes after
the vessel had taken to water the old
gentleman presented the so note to
the clerk in payment for his fare.
'Counte feitn exclaimed the clerk
and then for the first time the whole
tru h dawned upon the old mans
mind.
The deckE ands are ahard lot. They
work, as you see wi h vim while in
port, and pass the time until the next
Is reached in playing craps They
are paid $3.50 day. When they are
called up to get their wages, they d.
vide into little gambling parties at
once and by the time port is reached.
OF the fty men paid o 7. about ten viii
have all the money This ten will take
one night on land, coming back to the
boats dead broke. and on the return
trip there VIII not be a nickel in the
whole crew. And the way they can 90
through stranger" said the speaker,
growing wa IN, lis caution A ne
gro got on board at Vic sburg the
other day and fell asleep. 1t WIS no.
ticed that undertaking was new.
Quietly the men went to work, stripped
m. div ded out his under ,lothing,
put him back into h old shoes, sh rt
and pantaloons, and left m. When
that negro awo e and found the change
which had been made in h IN. he was
completely mystitied. He could not
understand how his underc othino
could have been stolen without touch
ing the re t. '-Auan.a Ga. Comstatu-
ion.